Mixing machine



C. B. THORNE MIXING MACHINE I Filed March. a, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES CARL BUSCH THORNE, OF HAWKESBURY, ONTARIO, CANADA I MIXING MACHINE Application filed MarchjS, 1928-. Serial no. 260,184;

The invention relates to a mixing machine, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention. consists essentially of the novel features of construction pointed out broadly and specifically in the claims for novelty following a description containing an explanation in detail of an acceptable form of the invention.

The objects of the invention are to facilitate the mixing of two or more substances or materials in such manner that liquids or powders or both may be intimately associated with comparatively dense materials; to insure a thorough distribution of a bleaching agent with the material treated, and par ticularly to separate the fibres in bundles of pulp, into which they have been collected timing the process ot manufacture, .and during this step of separation to thoroughly impregnate the fibres with the bleaching agent, thus delivering into the bleaching receptacle the pulp in a most efficient state for accomplishing the bleaching in so satisfactory a way, as to obtain a perfectly even color throughout the whole of the material being treated; to eliminate the destruction of the fibres oftendue to the use of Violenttmechanical means forbreaking up the bundles and instead maintain the fibres at their maximum length, which is important for certain manufactures; .to aid materially in carrying out the operations successfully in many bleaching processes and plants, especially those in which continuity of operation is unbroken, such as is described in United States Patents No. 1,642,978, dated September 20th, .1227, No. 1,643,566, dated September 27th, 1927, No. 1,684,388, dated July 5th, 1927, and in United States application for a patent filed under Serial No. 61075, on October 7th, 1925; to utilize the same machinein sundry arts, notably those in which there are collections of solid or semi-solid matter which have to be separated in order to reach all the parts or particles that make up the bundles;

. and generally to provide in various manufac- 5 tures a stirring and separating machine of a section.

ble under the usual conditions.

durable nature and suflicient in its operations.

In the drawings, V Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine showing the feed entrance and the situation of the stationary and permanent row of separating pegs.

Figure 2 is' a plan view of the interior dis closing the rotors and showing the casing in Figure 3 is a longitudinal mid-sectional view of amachine.

' Figure 4: is an end elevation showing the feed entrance. e

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the machine on the line 5-5 in Figure l.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the machine on the line 6 -6 in Figure 1'.

Figure 7 is a perspectivedetail of a rotor.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

In this machine the invention largely resides in' the gneans taken to completely disintegrate the bundles of pulp material resulting from the affinity of the fibres during the process of manufacture and in the means employed for stirring and distributing the bleaching agent into and throughout the pulp during its passage through the mechine, in order that the mixture in leaving the mixer will be all ready for the completion of the Work in the bleaching receptacle, thereby carrying on constantly the operation of bleaching and reducing the cost, especially in the large mills, as well as turning out a very much finer product than is possi- The most common form of mixer is something in the nature of a screw, often a screw conveyor, and this is really very hard on the fibres and is liable to cut them to pieces and offset all the benefits resulting from a long fibre. Then again the screw method, besides being rough is not good for mixing as it is too apt to carry on considerable quantities of pulp' without'being properly impregnated .with the bleaching agent, in fact the natural properties of the screw conveyer make such a method less liable to be disturbing than otherwise, except when it comes into contact with the. bundles, and

then something must give away and this always is the bundle which is thus broken up and the principal fibres destroyed.

There are other mechanical means employed, which are also very destructive, such as spiral propellers and various agitating means, and these are all intended to break up the bundles of fibres, and as it is always desirable to do it quickly, such metal devices come into sharp contact with these bundles and necessarily tear them to pieces without care. It will be thus seen that each fibre is liable to be torn into several pieces and to avoid this tearing action, the firm engagement by the pegs or fingers and the rapid tossing about of the bundles from peg to peg and from peg to corrugated wall insures the disintegration of the bundles without injury to the fibres.

It is essential that there should be no stoppage, and to accomplish this the bundles of fibre .pulp naturally must be disintegrated, whilst they are in passage through the mixing machine, therefore the actual disintegrating members have to be numerous, as

well as form many obstructions in the path of the pulp material, and this is done in a particular way in the present invention with the consequence that it is practically an impossibility for the bundles to escape contact with the pegs, and even the first results of the throwing about of the bundles will be quite sufficient to make them liable to dis integration before they reach the main part of the machine, but naturally it is liable to pass between several coacting pegs, so that the several bundles are divided into their individual fibres before leaving the casing of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the casing, which is preferably made in the two parts 11 and 12, and these parts are formed in the interior with corrugated inner wall surfaces 13 and 14, which may or may not be in the form of linings as desirable.

The bottom of the casing part 12 rises centrally forming the longitudinal division 15 and the part cylindrical bottoms 16 and 17, the said casing part 12 being closed in at the ends by the heads 18 and 19, meeting the heads 20 and 21 of the part 11. j

The part 11 is semi-oval in shape and at one end has the feed entrance 22 through which the pulp is fed from the concentrator, this pulp passing through the casing to the discharge outlet 23 extending through the bottoms 16 and 17 across the division 15, thereby providing the casing as a passage in continuous bleaching operations of pulp or other manufactures. The casing part 12 and particularly the bottoms 16 and 17 extend from the head 19, in an inclined direction so that the pulp flows by gravity, until it reaches the discharge outlet 23, which is in the end wall beyond the well 24 at the outlet end of said casing.

The casing parts 11 and 12 are rigidly secured together and the shaft bearings 25 and 26 are mounted adjacent to the heads 18 and 20 and the heads 19 and 21 respectively, and in alignment with the shaft orifices therethrough.

The casing part 12 is supported on the base '29, which stands upon a suitable foundation of cement or other substantial material.

The pegs 30 form a longitudinal row in direct vertical alignment with the division 15 and extend downwardly into the interior of the casing for a short distance.

These pegs are squared, where they project from the upper wall of the casing, and the stems of the pegs extend through the casing wall and are secured by the nuts 31. The pegs 30 are set a comparatively short distance apart and are spaced so that the most effective work may be done in the separation of the fibres in the bundles of pulp in the machine.

The rotors 32 and 33 are each formed of the solid centre 34, having the bosses 35 radially extending therefrom and the'shaft ends 36 and 37 extending into the bearings between the heads. rotation the radial pegs 38 and these pegs are squared where they project from the bosses 35, and pass in rotation in a path adjacent to the pegs 30, all pegs being set in diagonal alignment longitudinally with the machine so that the corners of the pegs nearly meet in passing, consequently when the bundle of pulp is engaged by the two pegs a stationary peg 30 and a rotating peg 38, the bundle is tossed by the pegs and thereby loosened and readily disintegrated, through the constant stirring of the contents. Further the radial pegs 38 also extend into proximity with the corrugated walls, thus these pegs toss the bundles against the walls and this contributes to the loosening of the fibres in the collection forming the bundle and the subsequent disintegration.

The inner portion of the casing 10 is comparatively shallow, occasioned by the inclined bottoms 16 and 17, therefore the radial pegs 39 are shorter and the reduction Each rotor carries in in the length of these pegs is also required to leave space at the feed opening, therefore the group 39 of radial pegs are much shorter than the remaining pegs 38, thus leaving plenty of room for the entrance of the pulp, which is in a condition of high density having comparatively little free water.

The casing is also formed with the two inlets 40 and 41, the inlet 40 being for the bleaching agent, while the inlet 41 is for water when necessary, and it is while the bundles of pulp are being disintegrated that the fibres are absorbing the bleaching agent, and becoming impregnated for bleaching purposes.

The fibres are stirred around and about, until they reach the discharge outlet, where they pass on to the bleaching receptacle in such condition that they are susceptible to the bleaching agent.

The shafts are driven in any suitable manner and rotate in the same direction, thus bringing the many bundles of fibres into sharp contact with the pegs and corrugations and separating the fibres.

The discharge outlet 23 is formed in the wall slightly above the bottom of the Well 24, and this makes a weir 42, which helps to V retain the liquid in the mixing casing, so that it will not drain right through the machine as this liquid should be held back until it is properly taken up and absorbed.

In the operation of this invention the pulp is fed through the entrance 22 into the casing usually from a concentrator, directly connected to the mill discharge and this pulp being of a very thick nature, falls into the mixer and is engaged by the short pegs, which immediately begin to loosen the bundles, which are carried by the flow in the direction of the discharge outlet and intermediately, the longer. pegs toss the bundles against the corrugated wall and the stationary pegs so that there is a continuous loosening and separating effect.

The bleaching agent and water are fed I continuously and mix with the pulp to facilitate the flow and impregnate the fibres and by the time the pulp reaches the bottom of the incline, the fibres are all separated and impregnated with the bleaching agent and ready for the bleaching.

In most mixers the pulp is so squeezed and kneaded that there is a tendency for it to hydrolyze and this is quite harmful to the pulp, whereas in the present machine, while during the operation the pulp is very active it is not roughly treated or jammed or in any way mishandled so as to destroy its good properties of manufacture.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A mixing machine comprising a casing having a chute bottom emptying into a well communicating with a weir, rotary members having pegs or fingers radially extending therefrom intercepting one another and stationary pegs secured to the casing wall and projecting inwardly therefrom and intercepting said rotary pegs.

2. A mixing machine comprising a casing having longitudinal serrations and flaring from the inlet end to the outlet well, said well having a removable closure, and rotary members adapted to be driven at variable speeds and having radially extending disintegrating means for engaging bundles of fibers and drawing the fibers apart, operating in conjunction with the wall projections and for mixing them in the contents of the casing.

3. In a mixing machine, a double casing having contiguous and communicating chambers, and serrated walls and inclined bottoms leading to a common well discharging above the bottom thereof, a common longitudinal row of square pegs of fingers projecting downwardly centrally in relation to the said double casing and rotors having squared radial pegs or fingers therefrom of varying lengths inter-meshing with one another and with the casing pegs.

Signed at Montreal, Canada, this 8th day of February, 1928..

CARL BUSCH THORNE. 

